


Made For This

by heyjupiter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Bruce Banner/Betty Ross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-10 17:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18664855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: "Like I said before, it was like I was made for it, to be able to wield it. We were made for it, Hulk and I. And now...he's gone, and it's just me."At the last moment, Bruce grabs the gauntlet. Tony's life is saved, but unfortunately, this second snap takes another life: Hulk's, leaving only Bruce Banner behind. Having finally reconciled himself with Hulk, Bruce is set adrift in despair after his loss. Tony hopes that time spent with his family will help restore Bruce's sense of self.





	1. A Shower & A Sleeping Pill

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:**  
>  Major character death (Hulk), suicidal ideation/body dysmorphia (Bruce). [Spoiler: he won't kill himself, I promise.]
> 
>  **Thanks:**  
>  To xxx_cat_xxx and volunteerfd for their very helpful feedback!
> 
>  **And Also:**  
>  This story is for the free square on my [Science Bros Bingo card](https://twentyghosts.tumblr.com/sciencebrosbingo).

Everything had been building up to this moment. Tony knew it, and yet he still hesitated to use the gauntlet. He held it up, taunted Thanos with it, and felt its power. He wasted precious seconds, seconds that Thanos, even in his weakened state, could easily have used to grab back the gems. Tony shook his head and focused his thoughts and then--Bruce came bounding out of the chaos.

Bruce skidded to a stop and put a huge hand over the gauntlet. “Tony, you can’t! Give it to me! Now!”

“Bruce, you’re still hurt from the last time, it might kill you.”

“It might, but it will definitely kill you. Give it to me,” Bruce growled, and Tony was reminded of why people were scared of the Hulk. " _Now_ , or I'll rip your goddamn arm off."

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw Thanos begin to lumber towards them, despite Strange's ongoing magical attack. Tony quickly resized the nanites that made up the gauntlet and gave it to Bruce. “Okay, jeez, good luck, buddy.”

Tony threw his shield up between Bruce and Thanos, just in case, and he turned to watch as Bruce put the gauntlet back on his injured hand and snapped. The force and pain of it drove Bruce to his knees with an awful scream, and then he fully face planted on the battlefield. Tony looked around and saw all of Thanos’ minions crumbling into ash. 

Bruce had succeeded, but at what cost? Tony knelt down to check on his friend. He felt for a pulse and found one, weak, but present. But it felt wrong. It took him a moment to put it together. His fingers were checking the pulse on Bruce’s thin, pale, human neck, not the big green one that was Bruce’s new normal. That was worrying. Tony knew how hard Bruce had worked to reconcile those two pieces of himself. 

On the bright side, it was going to be easier for Tony to carry Bruce if necessary. 

“FRIDAY, can you get a medic here or something? Do we have any of those around here? Wait, where did Strange go? He's a doctor, right? Like a real one?” Tony looked around and didn't see Strange, but he did see several glowing circles opening and closing. He supposed Strange probably had some magical affairs to attend to.

“First responders incoming, boss.”

“Thanks, Fri. Banner, you hear that? Hang in there, okay? You’re gonna...everything’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna get you patched up. You...you did it, Bruce. It’s over.”

Bruce made no response. Tony hesitated. He knew you weren’t supposed to move people after they were injured, but Bruce was facedown on the ground and he hadn’t had a spinal injury. Tony gently rolled him over and winced at the damage to Bruce’s burned face, a face he hadn't actually seen in almost five years. But he was still breathing, which meant Tony still had hope. 

“FRIDAY, seriously, did you make it clear that this is a priority emergency?”

“Of course, boss, but...there are a lot of priority emergencies right now.”

Tony sighed. He took the gauntlet back from Bruce's small hand, reassembled his suit, and carefully cradled Bruce in his arms before flying off. “Get us to the nearest hospital, Fri. And patch me through to Pepper.”

As he flew, Tony was relieved to hear that Pepper was fine and so were most of their teammates. With FRIDAY’s help, Tony got Bruce checked in to the emergency room. Bruce was immediately taken to surgery, and they wouldn't let Tony follow. In fact, they rudely made Tony see a doctor to get his own head bandaged. He couldn't be too mad about it, though, since they also gave him the good painkillers. When they finally let him go--he really wasn't hurt _that_ badly--he found Pepper in the waiting room. Tony kissed Pepper until Shuri appeared by their side and loudly cleared her throat. 

“Ah, sorry,” Tony said. “It’s just, you know, a relief that we’re both alive.”

“I don’t know anything at all about that,” Shuri said drily. 

“Right,” Tony said. "Well. Uh, you're both okay, though?"

"Fine," Pepper replied. "What about you?"

"No big deal. Some light wear and tear."

"Mm. Well, at least you saw a doctor, I assume? That bandage looks better than when you try to do it yourself."

"Forgive me, Pepper, instead of going to medical school I learned other skills."

"If I may interrupt your charming banter, I have news about Dr. Banner," Shuri said.

"Yes?" Tony asked.

"The news is mostly good. His right arm could not be saved, but the necrotic tissue was contained. And there appears to be only minimal brain damage."

"Sorry, I thought you said you had _good_ news?" Tony said.

"He's lucky to be alive," Shuri said. "Bad news would be...very bad indeed."

"What did you say about brain damage?" Pepper asked.

"Yes. Well. I would prefer to do more testing with Wakandan imaging technology, of course, but based on what we can see here...as I said, the damage appears minimal."

"Minimal isn't zero," Tony said.

"I see your genius reputation is well-earned."

"I'm serious. What does that mean?"

"We will have to wait and see," Shuri said. "It is too early to say."

"What's the worst case scenario?" Tony asked.

"Death."

"Jesus. What's the second-to-worst case scenario, then?"

"I don't believe this is a productive conversation, Mr. Stark," Shuri said mildly. "As soon as he is stable enough to travel, I will bring him to Wakanda and there we will be better able to diagnose and assist him. He will get the best care possible."

"Well...he'd better," Tony said weakly.

"He will. Wakanda owes him a debt. The world does. We will see that he is cared for." 

Tony sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have let him do it. He'd already done too much."

"Oh, yes, you absolutely should have let him do it," Shuri said. "It _definitely_ would have killed you. Or any normal human."

Pepper slipped her arm around Tony's waist.

Gently, Shuri said, "Perhaps you should get some rest. Dr. Banner will be in surgery for some time."

Pepper tightened her arm around Tony. "C'mon, honey, why don't we go get a hotel room?"

"But--"

"We'll come back as soon as there's news, but I'm exhausted. Please, Tony?" He hesitated, and she said, "We can have Happy set up a video call with Morgan."

"Okay. Right. Yeah.” He looked to Shuri. “You’ll keep me posted?”

“Of course.”

Tony had meant to wait up for word on Bruce, but he was exhausted from battle. He chatted with Morgan, and he gave Peter a quick call too. He ate a lot of pizza and then passed out. He was pulled out of a deep sleep around 3am by a call from Shuri, who went straight to the point: “Dr. Banner is out of surgery. We are leaving for Wakanda now.”

“Can I talk to him?”

“He is in a medically-induced coma.”

“Coma? I thought--“

“This will keep him stable until we get to Wakanda. We must not waste further time. Goodbye, Mr. Stark.”

Shuri hung up on him and Tony fell back to sleep. In the morning, he sleepily rehashed the conversation to Pepper. 

“What? He’s in Wakanda? Don’t you want to go visit him?”

“I...don’t think I was invited.”

“Since when did that stop you?”

Tony squirmed. “I just...do you think Bruce will want to see me?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“It’s my fault he got hurt.”

“He volunteered! He wanted to protect you. I’m sure he’s not mad at you. It's Bruce!”

“Okay. Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll call Shuri back.”

But Shuri politely informed Tony that Bruce wasn’t ready for visitors. After sending Steve back in time and finishing up their business with the Infinity Stones, Tony joined Pepper and Morgan back home to California. It was nice to retreat to the comfort of their cabin away from the world, as the world figured out how to return to normal. 

Tony kept checking in on Bruce without hearing much; Shuri seemed to be dodging his calls. The guilt started to eat away at him, despite Pepper’s best attempts to reassure him, Peter's best attempts to kill Tony by sheer volume of text messages, and Morgan’s best attempts to be the most adorable child on the planet. 

Looking for a dose of normalcy, he picked up the phone for a chat, and was relieved when Rhodey answered on the first ring. "Hey, Tony!"

“Rhodey, what’s up?” 

“Just hanging out with Bruce.”

“What? I thought Shuri said he wasn’t ready for visitors.”

Rhodey laughed. “Yeah, she told me that too but I gate-crashed. The Dora Milaje all have a lot of other stuff to do right now besides check IDs at the door.”

“Oh.” Tony’s guilt increased. “Well, how’s he doing?”

“Asleep right now. He’s...I mean, physically, Bruce has made amazing progress in terms of recovery. Wakanda Forever, right?”

“Right. Okay, that’s good.”

"You should see the robot arm he's got. It looks exactly like his other arm, you can't even tell."

"Huh. So not like the Winter Soldier?"

"Apparently that's an aesthetic choice."

“What about...Shuri had said there might be brain damage?”

“Well. The thing is, _Bruce_ ’s brain is 100% fine.”

Tony let out a deep sigh of relief. “That’s fantastic.”

“Yeah. But...the Hulk is...dead.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I guess, I don’t know, the overload of gamma radiation completely fried him out of Bruce's brain, or something...I’m sure Shuri could explain it to you.”

“Well, she didn’t.”

“She’s been real busy. She _is_ the princess of a country that's just getting reassembled...anyway, Bruce has been...he’s taking it really hard.”

“Oh. Right. Would...you tell him I called?”

“Of course. You gonna come visit?”

“I...maybe. If Bruce wants me to.”

"You were one of the first things he asked about, once he was...aware. He was glad to hear you're okay. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

But Tony _wasn't_ sure, and when he never heard back from Bruce, he decided to stay home. Bruce had always respected Tony's decision to quit the Avengers, had never tried to bring up the issue with Tony the way Rhodey occasionally had. Tony had appreciated Bruce's discretion, and now Tony wanted to try to repay that by respecting Bruce's boundaries. Tony tried to send flowers, but Wakanda turned out to have a strict biological quarantine. 

Eventually, he heard from Rhodey that Bruce had returned to the US, that he was staying at the new, partially-constructed Avengers HQ in upstate New York. Rhodey pointedly gave Tony Bruce's new phone number.

Tony called once. Bruce didn't answer, and Tony left a message: "Bruce! Uh, hey, buddy, glad to hear you're back stateside. I, uh, I...give me a call, anytime, okay? Take care."

Overhearing, Pepper said, "Seriously? That's your message?"

"I didn't know what to say! I mean, I...I owe him my life, multiple times over, and he got hurt because of that. If he doesn't want to talk to me, that's his right."

Pepper made the scrunched up face she made when she was disappointed. Tony knew the feeling. "Well, I hope you keep trying," she said.

"I don't want to bother him. He has my number if he wants to talk."

Pepper shook her head and returned to her book. 

Days went by and Bruce never returned Tony's calls. Tony thought he'd see Bruce at the memorial service for Natasha, but there was no sign of him. Weeks later, Rhodey called. "Hey, Tony, are you at the lake house right now?"

"Yeah?"

"Perfect. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what?"

"Can you go check on Bruce?"

"He won't take my calls."

"Yeah, he's not taking anyone's calls, that's why I want you to go check on him."

"Huh?"

"Like, in person, will you please go to his house and check on him?"

"I thought he was with you?"

"Well, he _was_ , but honestly, I have a lot of work to do right now with everything that's going on, and it was really bumming Bruce out to be at the Avengers HQ without, you know, the Other Guy. So he went back to his place in LA. I went out with him to help him get set up but I had to split after a few days. I'm in Colombia right now, there's a...well, just, please, Tony? I'm worried. I checked with Val, Shuri, Helen...nobody's heard from him for a week."

"I, yeah, of course, but I don't think he'll see me."

"Then make him see you if you have to, Tony. You're the closest one to him. Trust me, he's not going to put up much of a fight."

Rhodey hung up, and Tony went to recap the call for Pepper.

"Tony! What are you waiting for, go!" She checked the time. "Pack a bag, maybe you shouldn't drive it round trip today. You don't want to feel rushed with Bruce."

For the last few years, Bruce had kept up a bicoastal life, on one hand staying at the Avengers Compound in New York, but also keeping up a house in Venice Beach, where he almost fit in with all the weirdos. Once he'd settled into life as a full-time Hulk, Bruce had proved to be quite a popular media figurehead, making frequent appearances on television. His place was about three hours by car (five hours at rush hour, two hours the way Tony drove) from Tony and Pepper's cabin, and Tony had visited it a few times. More frequently, Bruce would drive his giant Jeep up to visit them for a moment of calm away from the celebrity status he'd recently achieved.

"I'm sure Bruce won't want me to stay."

"Then get a hotel!"

"But--" Tony recognized the look in her eyes. "Okay, fine, I'll pack a bag." He kissed her. "I'll see you later, hon."

"Text me when you get there! And tell Bruce I said hi."

"Sure."

Tony threw a few things in a backpack, kissed Morgan goodbye, and hit the road. Just over three hours later, he found a miraculously-placed street parking spot and rang Bruce's video doorbell. "Heyyy, Bruce, it's, uh, me, Tony, and I...know you probably don't want to talk to me right now, but, uh, it's important."

There was no reply, and Tony tried again. "Please, Bruce, please let me in. I need to talk to you. It's really important."

Finally, Bruce's voice came back through the speaker. "It's not a good time."

Tony exhaled. Bruce was alive, at least. "No, I know, but it's an emergency."

"Maybe you didn't hear, but I'm not an Avenger these days."

"It's not that kind of an emergency. I just need to talk to you. Please?"

After an excruciating silence, the door opened with a click, and Tony hurried inside before Bruce could change his mind. Once indoors, he was immediately hit with a stale, sour smell. He made his way through the entry hallway and fought to keep his expression neutral when he saw Bruce standing in the living room. Bruce was wearing a Hulk-sized sweatshirt that went to his human knees, paired with giant socks and no pants. His hair was unwashed and matted, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey, Bruce, it's really...really good to see you." Aside from Bruce's general state of disarray, he looked physically better than Tony might have feared, based on the last time he'd seen Bruce. Wakandan medical tech had done amazing work with the decayed tissue on Bruce's face; his skin there looked smooth and healthy, even better than what Helen Cho had achieved. Bruce's arms were fully hidden inside the giant sweatshirt, but from what Rhodey had said, the robotic arm was virtually indistinguishable from his other arm, covered in a very convincing synthetic skin.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked.

"What?"

"The emergency. What's wrong." His voice was cold and flat.

"Well, um, you're the emergency, actually. We, uh, you weren't answering your phone, and everyone's been pretty worried about you."

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" He wandered into the living room and picked up his phone off the coffee table. "Oh. Huh. Guess I forgot to charge it."

Tony followed him and asked, "For a week?" Tony couldn't imagine willingly going an hour without his phone, and he couldn't help but notice that Bruce's normally-tidy coffee table was littered with empty oversized mugs. 

"I guess, yeah, for a week. Here, I'll plug it in and you can get back to your life." Bruce plugged in the phone and then laid down on the huge couch, wrapping himself up in a blanket. "You can show yourself out."

"Wait, Bruce, please, are you...I mean, I know you've been through a lot, but what's going on? Are you sick? Do you need a doctor?"

Bruce rolled over and burrowed his face into the back of the sofa. "I'm fine. I'm just cold."

The room was almost unbearably hot. It felt like Bruce had the heat cranked up to at least 90 degrees. Tony hesitantly sat on the end of the giant couch. "Bruce, I can't thank you enough for what you did, and I'm so sorry for what it cost you. I...I know I can't ever repay you, and I...I don't blame you for being mad at me. I'm just...so sorry."

"I'm not mad at you, Tony," Bruce said, directly into the couch. "I just don't feel like talking."

"...Oh. Um, okay, that's fair." Tony stood up from the couch and started tidying up. He took the mugs to the kitchen and washed them. He noticed that Bruce's kitchen seemed remarkably devoid of food. There was a half-empty box of Wheat Thins on the counter and that was about it.

He returned to the living room. "Bruce? When was the last time you ate...anything?"

"Mmph."

"Why don't you take a shower, maybe put on some human-sized clothes, and we'll have dinner? I'll get something delivered. You still like Indian food?"

"I don't have any."

"No, yeah, I'll have the food delivered. I saw your kitchen."

"Human-sized clothes."

"What?"

"Well, a few things from Wakanda, but they're not clean."

"I hate to break it to you, but what you're wearing now isn't clean either. Neither are you, for that matter."

Bruce pulled the blanket over his head. "Who cares?"

"I care, Bruce. I'm honestly still not convinced I shouldn't be taking you to the hospital right now."

"I'm not sick. I'm just...I got used to running a high body temperature, thanks to all the gamma radiation and the Hulk's physiology. Now...I'm at a cool 98.6 and it feels _freezing_. Shuri said it would just take me time to adjust."

"Well, you'd probably be warmer if you put on pants."

"It's just...so hard," Bruce admitted.

Tony laughed. "Bruce, you've done maybe the hardest thing in the world for me. How about if I do laundry for you?"

"I'm not going to stop you."

Hesitantly, Tony patted Bruce's shoulder through the layers of cloth, getting no reaction from Bruce. Tony found Bruce's bedroom in a state of total disarray, and he swept everything up off the floor and tossed it in the washing machine. Then he pulled out his phone and made a quick rush order to get some new clothes delivered. He also saw several texts from Pepper that reminded him he hadn't called when he'd gotten there. He texted her, _Might be here awhile. Bruce is in rough shape. Love you 5000._

_Bring him here! Love you 5001._

_I don't think he'll come._

_Convince him._

Tony sighed. Like it was that easy. Well, maybe it was for Pepper. She was the one with the people skills. Tony went back in the living room and sat next to Bruce again. "Okay, I got some laundry started, and I'm getting some new things for you. Would you please take a shower?"

"Fine. In a minute."

"Don't make me do this, Bruce."

"Do what?"

Tony took a deep breath. Becoming a father had taught him some new skills. "Remember, you brought this on yourself. I'm going to keep singing until you get off this couch. _Baby shark, doot do do…_ " He made it to "grandma shark" before Bruce rolled off the couch, trailing the blanket behind him like a cape until he dropped it on the floor outside the bathroom. Tony smiled to himself and then set about doing some more tidying up. He switched the laundry to the dryer and put the couch blanket in the wash. He finished the dishes and cracked open windows to let in some fresh air. He accepted the delivery he'd arranged from REI.

He was starting to feel a real sense of accomplishment as Bruce's kitchen got closer to its former glory, when it occurred to him that Bruce had been in the shower for quite some time. He knocked on the bathroom door, softly at first, and then harder when he received no response.

"Bruce? Seriously, just give me a shout if you're okay. _Bruce?_ " He held his ear to the door and heard nothing but running water. Bruce was probably pretty weak if he hadn't eaten lately, he might have fainted in the shower. "Bruce, I'm going to come in there if you don't say anything!"

Still no reply from Bruce, so Tony tried the door. Of course, it was locked. Tony pulled his trusty multi-tool out of his pocket and quickly removed the doorknob. "Bruce?" The bathroom was like a sauna, so thick with steam that at first Tony didn't see Bruce at all. Then he realized his friend was sitting in the oversized tub while the shower poured down over his head. 

Tony knelt beside the tub, finally close enough to understand that Bruce was sobbing. "Oh...hey, okay, Bruce, hey." Tony was the worst possible person to be here right now. He'd never been great at this kind of thing. Whenever Morgan cried, Tony immediately gave her whatever she wanted. In this case, he was pretty sure what Bruce wanted was just solitude, but Tony wasn't sure he could safely give him that. "I, um, I'm going to turn the water off, okay?"

Bruce mumbled something, and Tony reached out to turn off the water. "Ow, Jesus, Bruce, this water is scalding! How are you not boiled alive?" With the water off and the door open, the steam began to dissipate, and Tony could see that Bruce's skin was bright red. He brought a towel over to Bruce. "Hey, I...I'm sorry, Bruce. I'm so sorry."

Bruce took the towel but made no move to get out of the tub. "I, um, I got you some new clothes, they should...fit you better, keep you warm, maybe? I'll just, I'm gonna leave them on top of the toilet and I'm just going to go wait out in the hallway, give me a shout if you need me."

On his way out, he noticed the bathroom mirror had been broken. A few stubborn pieces still clung to the frame.

Feeling vaguely sick, Tony waited in the hallway, hoping fervently that Bruce would manage to dress himself. A few minutes later, Bruce walked out of the bathroom, wearing every piece of clothing Tony had purchased for him. Tony had gotten all kinds of performance layering pieces, meant for cold-weather sports. Bruce probably could have run the Iditarod in them. Instead, he retreated back to the couch.

"Where's the blanket?"

"Sorry, I threw it in the wash."

Bruce crossed his arms over his chest. Tony was sweating from the warmth of Bruce's apartment. What Bruce had said about his changed body temperature made some sense, but still, some of this must be psychosomatic. There was no way Bruce could actually still be cold.

"Bruce, let's get out of here. I...get it if you don't want to be with me, but I really don't think you should stay here by yourself. Okay?" The uncleanliness aside, everything in Bruce's house was sized for the Hulk. Morgan had loved it the few times she'd visited--it made her feel like Alice in Wonderland. But now it made Bruce look like a child, and Tony was sure it was all an unpleasant reminder of what Bruce had lost. What Tony and the gauntlet had taken from him.

Bruce shrugged, which wasn't a "no."

Tony exhaled. "Okay. Good! Good. Why don't we get a hotel tonight, and then tomorrow we can go back up to my place? Unless...unless there's somewhere else you'd rather go?"

"Whatever."

Tony closed his eyes for a moment. If nothing else, helping Bruce out now would probably be good preparation for Morgan's teen years. "Is there anything you need to pack?"

"I guess it's all in the wash."

"Okay, Bruce, let's just go, I'll get you a new blanket, okay? Whatever you need, we'll get it."

"Whatever I need," Bruce repeated thoughtfully. He let out an unsettling laugh. 

"Yes," Tony agreed. He texted FRIDAY to ask her to book a hotel for them, and then he grabbed Bruce's phone and charger and led an unsteady Bruce out the door to Tony's car. It was a warm night, but still, the breeze made Bruce shiver. Tony put the top up on his convertible and let FRIDAY direct him to their hotel. Tony had gotten a double room for them; he didn't want to leave Bruce alone.

Once they were in the room, Bruce immediately claimed the bed nearest the door and climbed under the covers.

"Hey, I'm going to order some food, okay? I think you should eat something before you go to sleep."

Bruce made an ambivalent sound.

"Indian food still sound good? Anything else? Thai? Tacos? Something else that starts with T? Uh, Turkish? Tea? Twinkies?"

Another ambivalent sound. Tony sighed and ordered a ridiculous quantity of Indian food.

When it arrived, Tony spread everything out on the room's desk. Bruce said, "You know you don't have to order for the Hulk anymore, right?"

"I--I know, but we can save the leftovers. I just...I wasn't sure what you wanted."

"I _wanted_ to be left alone," Bruce muttered. But he ate a samosa and drank most of a mango lassi, and Tony took that as a victory.

As soon as he finished eating, Bruce rolled himself back up in the comforter and turned his back to Tony. Tony took a few more bites of his own food, put the leftovers back in the fridge, and got ready for bed himself.

"We'll hit the road in the morning. I'm not going to set an alarm, just whenever we're ready, okay, Bruce?"

"Fine."

"Let me know if you need anything?"

Bruce made an irritated noise.

"Okay, well, just let me know. Good night, Bruce," Tony said, and turned the lights off. He lay in his own bed and texted Pepper: _Staying the night in LA. Hoping to bring Bruce back with me tomorrow._

_GOOD._

_This might sound weird, but if you get the chance, could you take down the mirror in one of the guest bathrooms? Not the one Bruce used to use...one of the normal sized ones._

_Of course._

_And maybe...let's not tell Morgan he's coming?_

_Why? I think he'd love to see her. And she loves him._

_I think it might scare her to see him like this._

_He's that bad?_

_I'm worried._

_Let's play it by ear. Anything else I should know?_

_I guess his body temperature is having trouble readjusting to the change and he's super cold all the time, can you make sure we have plenty of clean blankets and stuff?_

_Of course. Aw, the poor guy._

_Yeah. I'll let you know when we leave tomorrow. Love you 5002._

_Love you 3000, give my other 2000 to Bruce please._

Tony smiled and sent a quick update to Rhodey. Then he rolled over and tried to get some sleep, but his mind wouldn't stop racing. He was still awake when Bruce crept out of bed and started approaching the window.

"Bruce? You okay?"

"I was just going to turn the heat up," Bruce mumbled. He adjusted the thermostat and crawled back into bed.

It was already so warm in the room that Tony could barely stand to have a sheet covering him. Tony picked up the comforter off the foot of his bed and went to place it over Bruce. Then he hesitated. Whenever Morgan had trouble sleeping, she always climbed into bed with Pepper and Tony. He knew Bruce wasn't actually a child, despite his current behavior, but he asked softly, "Do you mind if I join you?"

Bruce made another indifferent sound, so Tony draped the second blanket over Bruce. Then he laid down on the bed over the blanket and cautiously curled up behind Bruce. He put an arm over Bruce's cocoon. Bruce sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Bruce," Tony murmured. "I'm so grateful for what you did, and I'm just so sorry for what it cost you."

In the sweltering darkness, Bruce said, "Do you remember what you said to me, back when we first met?"

"That feels like forever ago."

"Do you remember what you said?" Bruce repeated.

Tony sighed. He remembered being immediately impressed by Bruce's intellect and intrigued by Bruce's reticence. He remembered intuitively understanding that if Hulk were part of Bruce, then Hulk must be good, not the villain the Army had made him out to be. He remembered how quickly he'd understood that Bruce was an indispensable part of whatever kind of team was being formed. But he wanted to hear what Bruce had taken away from their meeting.

"Probably some kind of aggressive joke to overcompensate for my own insecurities?"

Bruce let out a soft exhalation that could have been a laugh if it had had more force behind it. "You told me that my accident happened for a reason. That the Hulk had a purpose."

"Oh…" Tony said, unsure where this was going. He _did_ remember that. He'd still been trying to make his own peace with his arc reactor, then, with everything that Ho Yinsen had said to him. It was possible that he'd been slightly projecting onto Bruce. But he'd been right, anyway. He usually was.

"At the time I thought it was bullshit, Tony, to be honest, but I never forgot it. And then...well, the gauntlet. Like I said before, it was like I was made for it, to be able to wield it. We were made for it, Hulk and I. And now...he's gone, and it's just me. And I don't know…I guess I don't know what the point is, anymore."

Despite the heat in the room, Tony's blood ran cold. "Bruce, are you...um...it sounds like you might be thinking about killing yourself?" He knew it wouldn't be the first time Bruce had thought that way, but this time, there would be no Other Guy to spit the bullet back out. 

"No...not really."

"Bruce. 'Not really' is not the same thing as 'no.'"

"Well...it's not that I want to kill myself, it's just that being alive seems so…"

"Seems so what?"

"Exhausting."

Eager to talk this away, Tony babbled, "Bruce, you're depressed. I get it, okay? You're grieving and you're depressed. Let's...let's get you someone to talk to. Some drugs. They're great, I'm on Lexapro, myself, but it took some trial and error to get the right one, Xanax made me so tired all the time, but...we'll...figure that out. Let's get you back with your family. I'm so sorry we left you alone all this time, I just...I thought it was what you wanted."

"I don't have a family."

" _We're_ your family, Bruce. Me and Pepper and Morgan and Happy and Rhodey...we're your family. Okay? I'm sorry I haven't been acting that way lately."

After a long pause, Bruce said, "I miss him."

"Of course you do." Tony sighed. He'd initially been skeptical of Bruce's plan to merge himself with the Hulk, and grown increasingly worried over the 18 painful months that Bruce spent working on the project. But Tony had to admit that it had ultimately been a smashing success, and the Hulk-Bruce hybrid was happier and more confident than he'd ever seen human-Bruce.

"I spent so long hating him, trying to lock him away and get rid of him, and all he ever wanted to do was protect me."

"Well...he did that, didn't he? He took all that damage from the gauntlet so you didn't take as much. He protected you."

"I wish he hadn't."

"You're one to talk, aren't you?"

"What?"

"I was...I was all set to use the gauntlet. You took it from me, to protect me."

"Well, yeah, it would have killed you, Tony."

"Instead it killed Hulk. It sounds like it might be killing you. I...that's not what I wanted, that's not a trade-off I wanted to make. I've been feeling...I...that's...that's why I thought you were mad at me. Because it should have been me."

"Tony, no, of course not. Your family needs you. I'm glad we saved you."

"Well, don't you think Hulk feels that way too? I'm sure he's glad he saved you, wherever he is. Besides, our family needs you too."

Bruce started to cry, more softly than his earlier sobs. Tony tried to tighten his arm around Bruce, though the blankets thwarted him. Finally, Bruce said, "I'm just so tired. Whenever I try to sleep, I..."

He trailed off, and Tony hesitated before asking, "Do you want a sleeping pill?"

"Yes. Please."

This was the first time Bruce had responded positively to anything Tony had offered, so Tony climbed off of the bed and fished a single sleeping pill out of his pillcase. He hadn't brought enough for Bruce to seriously O/D on, even if Bruce managed to sneak into Tony's bag later. Tony brought the pill to Bruce with a bottle of water. Bruce sat up to take the pill and then returned to his blanket cocoon. Bruce didn't ask Tony to move, so Tony stayed. He listened until Bruce's breaths steadied out into sleep, and then Tony finally fell into a peaceful sleep himself.


	2. A Sandwich & A S'More

Tony woke up around eight in the morning; late for him, usually Morgan was demanding attention by six or so. Bruce remained asleep for hours. Tony periodically checked to make sure he was still breathing, but based on the circles he'd had under his eyes the day before, Bruce probably needed the sleep. Tony took advantage of the morning to order some more clothes and basic necessities for Bruce. He tried to read the newspaper but couldn't focus. He ate some cold leftover Indian food, which was not as good as cold pizza.

Finally, Bruce stirred around 11:30. He silently stumbled to the bathroom. He came back and sat in his bed. Tony noted that he only pulled the blanket over his lap, rather than rolling himself into a full-on burrito. That seemed like progress. 

Tony smiled and said, "Hey, Bruce. You hungry?"

Bruce shook his head.

Tony tried to keep his smile up. "Sure there's not anything you'd like to eat? You know, don't tell Morgan, but we're adults, we can have ice cream for breakfast if we want."

"You definitely let Morgan have ice cream for breakfast."

Tony laughed, both because it was true, and also because he was so relieved to hear something that sounded like the old Bruce. "So what do you say? Pint of H--chocolate?" Tony cut himself off before offering "Hunka Hulka Burning Fudge." He wasn't sure if Bruce had noticed. "I really think you should try to eat something."

"...Maybe some toast."

"Okay, sure, toast! A very mature choice! You want like avocado toast, or French toast, or--"

“Just plain toast.”

Tony called room service and promptly had toast, tea, and coffee sent up. Bruce clutched the teacup tightly with one hand and slowly ate. Tony had gotten used to watching Hulk-Bruce demolish entire loaves of bread in less time than Bruce was taking to eat a single slice of toast. Obviously, human-Bruce would need to eat less, but his appetite definitely seemed off, even for human standards. Tony made a mental note to check with Shuri about that.

After Bruce finally finished his painstaking process of eating, he announced, "I'm gonna shower."

"Great!" Tony said. He suddenly remembered potty training Morgan, and how enthusiastically he'd cheered every time she used the toilet. Based on Bruce's weary sigh, he suspected Bruce was thinking something similar. Tony tamped down his enthusiasm and said, "Uh, there's some fresh clothes and things for you on the desk, there."

"Thanks," Bruce said softly. He took the bag and went into the bathroom. Tony listened closely, feeling creepy but believing himself to be justified. Fortunately, Bruce emerged, clean and very warmly dressed, without requiring further intervention.

"Looking good, Banner," Tony said.

Bruce shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Tony bit his lip and said, "Um, well, you ready to hit the road? Anything else you want to do in LA before we head for the hinterlands?"

Bruce shook his head "no." Tony sent an update to Pepper and then headed north with Bruce. Tony offered to let Bruce pick the music--a grand gesture, one whose importance he was sure Bruce was aware of--and Bruce chose...silence. The ride was impossibly long, but they eventually pulled into the garage. Thankfully, Morgan wasn't in there.

Tony led Bruce into the house. Pepper was unrolling her yoga mat in the sunroom. Her face lit up with a luminous smile. "Bruce! It's lovely to see you."

"Hey, Pepper," Bruce said, with a small nod.

"Would you like to join me for yoga?" she asked. "I was just getting started." She normally did yoga first thing in the morning; either an oddly-timed international call had altered her usual schedule, or this was staged specifically to invite Bruce to do yoga. 

"Oh. Uh, no, thanks, I think I'm just...gonna lie down?” Bruce said, although he had been awake for less than four hours at that point.

Pepper's smile dimmed slightly, but she said, "Of course. Here, I set up the blue guest room for you, I thought you'd be more comfortable there. Let me show you."

Bruce twisted his hands together and nodded. Pepper led him upstairs and returned a few minutes later. "He didn't look so bad," she said softly. "I was expecting worse from your messages."

"He's a lot better today. I gave him a sleeping pill last night and he slept for almost twelve hours."

"Oh."

"Hey, I'm gonna just--I--Pep, the way he was talking...well, I asked him if he was thinking about killing himself, and he said, and I quote, 'Not really.'"

"God," Pepper said.

"So I'm just...I mean, I know we babyproofed everything, but I think Bruce could probably figure out a childproof lock. "

"So can Morgan."

"Right. Well, so, I'm just going to double check the medicine cabinet and everything. Just in case."

"I'll check the garage."

"No, wait, let's switch, I'll do garage, you do medicine cabinets."

Pepper gave him a suspicious look. "You don't have _more_ surprises out there, do you?"

"Well, you'll never know, because you're going to check the medicine cabinets. For Bruce."

Pepper smiled. "Fine. For Bruce."

"Where is Morgan, anyway?"

"In her room. I checked on her about half an hour ago and her dolls were inventing a new element."

"That's my girl."

Tony and Pepper reunited half an hour later, relatively confident that the house was both toddler- and severely-depressed-adult-safe. Tony asked FRIDAY to keep an eye on Bruce and alert them of any suspicious behavior, while Pepper called her psychiatrist and convinced her to make an emergency housecall. 

Fortunately, she agreed; unfortunately, she showed up while Tony, Pepper, and Morgan were eating lunch. Pepper quickly greeted her and whisked her upstairs, but the dining room had a clear view of the driveway and Morgan was nothing if not inquisitive.

"Who's that?"

"Dr. Patel," Tony said.

"Is she staying for lunch? She's pretty."

"No, she's just going to help Mommy with something upstairs."

Morgan's eyes widened. "Is Mommy sick?"

"No, Mommy's just fine."

Then Pepper returned to the table, alone.

"Mommy, where's Dr. Papel?"

"Patel, sweetie. She's…" Pepper flashed her eyes to Tony. Tony shrugged in response. His lie had already fallen apart. This was why he and Pepper tried to be as honest with Morgan as possible; things were so much easier that way. Still, Tony tried to shield Morgan from harsh truths when he could.

Pepper sighed, and Tony said, "Honey, look, we have some news. Your Uncle Bruce is staying with us for awhile."

Morgan's eyes lit up. "Uncle Bruce? Can I go play with him?"

"That's the thing, Morguna, Uncle Bruce is...he's not feeling very well right now," Tony said. "Dr. Patel is here to see him. I didn't tell you at first because I didn't want you to worry about him. I'm sorry."

"Uncle Bruce is sick?" Morgan asked, her eyes like saucers.

"He came here to rest so he could get better. So it's important that we let him rest, okay? I'm sure when he's feeling better, he'd love to play with you," Pepper said.

"Okay. Like tomorrow maybe?"

"Like tomorrow maybe," Tony agreed. "But maybe more days, okay? You might have to be _really_ patient. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes! I can be so patient." Morgan thoughtfully chewed a bite of buttered noodles. 

Pepper said, "The other thing, sweetie, is that Uncle Bruce looks different than what you're used to."

"Does he have a rash on his face?" Morgan had recently gotten a bad case of poison ivy, after which Tony had paid landscapers a huge, but worthwhile sum to eradicate all remnants of the vine from their property. Morgan had hated the itching but had been fascinated by her skin’s disgusting, oozy appearance. 

"Well...not exactly. Do you remember how we told you that Uncle Bruce didn't always used to be so big and green? Not all the time?"

"Yeah, he used to look regular like Daddy usually and then he would turn big and green when he got really mad!"

"Hang on, I don't look _regular_ , I'm very handsome," Tony said.

Morgan laughed. "Daddy, you're silly."

"That's true," Pepper said. "He is silly."

Tony shook his head. "Anyway. Now Uncle Bruce just looks...regular again, all the time."

"What does he look like when he's regular?" 

"Hey, Fri, can you show us some baby pictures of Morgan with Bruce? Anything from 2020." 

That had been Bruce's last year as human-Bruce. He'd visited often then, always bringing books and toys for Morgan. But he'd grown increasingly distracted, even in the face of Morgan's undeniable charisma. Tony had had a sense that Bruce was keeping something from him--but Tony had been so insistent on not hearing anything about Avengers business that he had assumed that Bruce's secret was an Avengers project. Which, in a way, it was. 

Tony had been concerned, but unwilling to ask too many questions, when Bruce essentially locked himself in the lower level of the Avengers compound for the next year and a half. Bruce had called occasionally, but never made it out to visit, and Tony certainly hadn't wanted to set foot in the Avengers compound, especially not when Morgan was busy hitting so many milestones. 

So it had been a bit of a surprise when Bruce had suddenly placed a video call, huge and green but also cheerful and polite, more articulate than Hulk had ever been and more outgoing than Bruce had ever been. It had taken Tony awhile to warm up to the idea of the Hulk hanging out with his fragile baby, but Morgan immediately loved her new green uncle, and Hulk-Bruce was always incredibly gentle with her.

FRIDAY promptly complied with Tony's request, and a carousel of photos appeared in the air above the kitchen table. Morgan stared, transfixed. She reached out to manipulate the photos, zooming in and pulling them closer to her face.

"See? I know you don't remember, but you did know him before," Pepper said. Tony looked at the photos with nostalgia. Morgan was so tiny and perfect. Meanwhile, Bruce looked so nervous in every photo--but then, so did Tony, in most of the pictures from Morgan's infancy. Tony was still nervous--there were still so many things that could go wrong--but he felt more confident in his parenting skills than he had in those early days. And now that Thanos was finally, fully defeated, he felt much less anxious about the state of the world that Morgan would grow up in.

" _That's_ Uncle Bruce?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm, yeah," Tony said. "See, the hair is the same, and the eyes…"

"He's so _little_!"

"He's still bigger than you, squirt," Tony said.

"Anyway, he's still the same person on the inside, okay? He still loves you," Pepper said. "Try to remember that and treat him the same way."

"Maybe a little bit gentler, though," Tony added. "He might not be up for piggyback rides just yet."

"We should always treat everyone the same, no matter what they look like," Morgan said primly.

"That's right, baby," Pepper said. "That's exactly right."

Just then, Dr. Patel came down the stairs. Pepper said, "Please excuse me," and went to have a hushed conversation with the doctor.

When Pepper came back, Morgan asked, "Is Uncle Bruce okay?"

"He will be, sweetie," Pepper said. 

"And then we can play robots?"

"And then you can play robots," Tony agreed.

"Yay!"

"Hey, Morgan, do you want to go help me in the garden while Daddy does the dishes?" Pepper asked.

"Okay," Morgan agreed.

"Good! Why don't you go get your sun hat?"

Morgan ran off, and Pepper said, "Dr. Patel called in a prescription for Bruce, someone from the pharmacy will deliver it this afternoon. It'll have instructions on it, and she didn't want to violate Bruce's privacy but, um, given the circumstances, she, um, did say that we should keep a close eye on him and think about checking him into a...a psychiatric hospital if he seems like he's getting worse. She said it was good that we, um, locked everything up. And she'll come back in a week to follow up."

Tony slumped in his chair. It was in line with what he'd expected, but it still hurt to hear. "Okay, well, we'll definitely do that. With help from our friendly omnipresent AI, right, FRIDAY?"

"Right, boss," FRIDAY agreed cheerfully.

Then Morgan returned with her adorable hat and Pepper took her outside. Tony washed the dishes and thought about what else he could possibly do to help Bruce. He’d been irritated when the dishwasher had broken and the part he needed had been backordered, but he found washing dishes to be surprisingly soothing. Meditative, even. (Though it didn’t stop Pepper from suggesting he try yoga.)

"Delivery at the door, boss," FRIDAY said. 

"Thanks, Fri," Tony said. He dried off his hands and went to claim Bruce's prescription. That was something Tony could do, at least. He studied the bottles. Celexa, once per day. Ambien, as needed. He put the Ambien in a locked cabinet for now and rummaged for some food for Bruce. He found a bag of unopened Goldfish crackers and took those and a glass of water up to Bruce's room. 

He was intercepted on the stairs by Morgan, tracking mud in from the garden as she barrelled back up toward her room. Goldfish crackers were an irresistible beacon for Morgan.

"Ooh, Daddy, can I have some Goldfish?"

"We just ate lunch."

"But we didn't have any Goldfish at lunch though."

"Well, I was going to bring these to Uncle Bruce. Maybe if he doesn't eat them all, you can have some later?"

"Can _I_ bring them to Uncle Bruce? And maybe he will share?"

Tony bit his lip. "How about if I bring them to Uncle Bruce first and make sure he's...awake. And if he is, I'll come back to your room and get you? But if he's asleep, we should let him rest. Okay?"

Morgan scrunched up her face. "Okay."

Tony watched as she went down the hall into her room. He went the other way and knocked softly on Bruce's door. "Bruce?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I come in?"

"It's your house."

Tony sighed. He opened the door and found Bruce wrapped in a quilt and staring blankly up at the ceiling. Tony had thought Pepper was so smart to put Bruce in this room--in addition to its soothing blue walls, it had a southern exposure with big windows with beautiful views of the lake. But Bruce was instead enjoying the view of the blank white ceiling.

"Hey, I thought you might be hungry? And your prescription came in. Will you take it?"

"Fine."

"Could you sit up?"

Bruce sighed, as if Tony had made a completely unreasonable demand, but he complied. Tony put a pill in his hand and gave him the glass of water. He watched Bruce take it. Bruce set the water on the nightstand and stared out the window. Tony noticed there were a few framed photos placed face down on the nightstand. He reached out to pick one up and realized it was a framed photo of Tony and Pepper's wedding party, including Bruce. Human-Bruce. Tony winced; he assumed Pepper had put out some photos for Bruce, and Bruce had not wanted to see them.

He set the photo back down and said, brightly, "Anyway...Goldfish?" He handed the bag to Bruce, who stared at it as if Tony had handed him an actual live fish. "Look, Bruce, if there's something else you'd rather eat, seriously, just name it. I saw you had some Wheat Thins at your place? You want more of those? Seriously, anything. We'll get it."

"Maybe a juice pop?" Morgan asked from the doorway.

Tony wheeled around. "Morgan! You...were supposed to stay in your room."

"Yeah but, you said you were going to see if Uncle Bruce was sleeping, but I heard you talking to him so I knowed he was awake."

Tony looked at Bruce nervously. But Bruce smiled. "Hey, Little Morgan."

She crept closer and stared at him. "You _are_ Uncle Bruce! I see him in your face."

Bruce's shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I am."

"I'm sorry you're sick, Uncle Bruce."

"Sick? Hmm. I guess I am sick. How have you been, Morgan?"

"Pretty good, I went in the garden with Mommy and saw a cool worm."

Bruce nodded. "What was cool about it?"

"It was _really_ long!"

"Cool," Bruce agreed.

"Uncle Bruce, when you get better will you be big and green again? Um, I don't care, because I love you no matter what you look like, but I was just wondering?" 

"Morgan--" Tony said.

"It's okay, Tony. No, Morgan, I won't be big and green again. This is just me now." He gestured sadly at himself.

"Okay so now you can come to Disneyland with us and fit on the rides, right?" Morgan was too young to know that Disneyland had closed for six months after the Snap, but they'd eventually re-opened with a mission statement about people needing to carry on living their lives and believing in magic (not to mention corporations needing to carry on making money). Tony had to admit, he _was_ glad to be able to give her a bit of that magic, despite the grim shadow that had hung over them all for the past five years.

Bruce smiled again. "Yeah, I guess I can."

"Maybe we can go for your birthday."

"We can talk about that later," Tony said. "Uncle Bruce's birthday isn't for awhile. And maybe there's something else he'd rather do."

"Maybe," Morgan said doubtfully. "We went for my birthday and it was really fun and I wore a pin so everyone knew it was my birthday and they had ice cream shaped like Mickey Mouse. You would love it, Uncle Bruce!"

Bruce would definitely hate Disneyland, but if anyone could convince him to go, it would be Morgan.

"Sweetie, why don't you go back to your room and think of other ways we could celebrate Uncle Bruce's birthday this year, and we'll talk about them at dinner? Let's let him rest."

"He doesn't look tired to me," Morgan muttered. "He looks sad."

Bruce laughed. "You're very perceptive, Morgan."

"Yeah, Daddy, I'm praceptive."

"Perceptive," Bruce corrected. "It means you notice things."

"I know that," Morgan said.

"I was just making sure your dad knew."

"Are you sad because you aren't green anymore?"

"I guess I'm sad because I miss what made me green."

"What made you green?"

"It's...a little hard to explain."

"I'm smart! I'm pra...perceptive. Daddy said you used to be two different people, a green one and a regular one, and then you were just one person."

"...Right. Well, the green one...is gone, and I miss him."

"Can you go visit him?"

Bruce looked to Tony helplessly. Tony said, "No, sweetie, the green one is dead. He's not coming back."

Morgan's eyes widened. "Uncle Bruce, are you going to die too? Because you're sick?"

"No, I...no, I'll be fine, Morgan. The green one wasn't sick. He was very brave and he got hurt and died. But that won't happen to me."

"Oh. Are you going to go to his funeral?"

Bruce and Tony both looked at her. Tony said, "What?"

"Like the one you went to for Black Widow, when you and Mommy dressed all in black. Or like for Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street. On Sesame Street they said a funeral was like a way to say goodbye to someone who wasn't coming back."

Tony glanced sidelong at Bruce, hoping to gauge his reaction. Bruce looked thoughtful; sad, but not devastated. Tony thought it was an idea with some merit. He was grateful for the public television screen time they allowed Morgan. The Sesame Street archives were an unending font of wisdom. (Her favorite episode, of course, was the one Hulk-Bruce had appeared on to talk about things that were green. But older episodes clearly still had their uses.)

Tony said, "Well, we're not going to a funeral today, so why don't you and I go play in the garage?"

Morgan brightened. "Okay! Bye Uncle Bruce!"

She ran out of the room and down the stairs. Tony sighed. "Sorry, Bruce, I was trying to--"

"--It's fine, Tony, it's good to see her."

"Do you think, uh, do you think you want to have a...funeral for Hulk? We could set it up. I think...I think it's a good idea, honestly."

Bruce sighed. "Yeah. Maybe. I don't know. Let me think about it?"

"Of course!" Tony squeezed his shoulder. "Think about it, let us know. And, um, Bruce, you remember you can ask FRIDAY for anything, right? She'll get us if you need us, or just...she could play some music for you, or project a movie on the wall if you want to watch something…or on the ceiling...she’s got all the Star Treks."

"Right. Yeah. Maybe."

"Okay. Well, I gotta go before Morgan dismantles the entire garage, but I'll be back later. But seriously, talk to FRIDAY."

Bruce nodded and stared off into space. At least now he was pointed toward the window, instead of the ceiling.

Tony went down to the garage, feeling slightly better about Bruce's condition. After a long, productive-ish afternoon with Morgan, they went back in the house and found Bruce sitting on the living room couch in front of the fireplace. Pepper was sitting near him, her face betraying no sign that it was entirely too warm out to have a fire going in the afternoon. 

Pepper smiled as Tony and Morgan entered. "Hey, what did my favorite inventors get up to today?"

"I'm still working on my robot dog," Morgan said solemnly. "Daddy's helping but not too much because she's my dog and I want to make her myself."

"Wow," Bruce said. "I love dogs!"

"Yeah, me too, and also I love cats and gerbils and snakes and iguanas. And guinea pigs. And regular pigs."

Bruce nodded. "Me too."

"Hey, can we make s'mores in the fireplace?" Morgan asked. She _loved_ s'mores, and they were currently in the middle of the stretch of time when it was generally too warm to have the fireplace going, but not quite outdoor BBQ weather. She'd seen Bruce's intense craving for warmth as an opportunity and she was going to seize it.

"Maybe after dinner," Pepper said.

"When's dinner?"

"Soon," Pepper said.

"What time is soon?"

"Well, it'll be sooner if you come help me make dinner," Tony said. 

"Okay, I'll help!" Morgan said proudly. Tony led her to the kitchen. And when they proudly served the salad and grilled cheese sandwiches they'd made, Bruce joined them at the table. He still had a vaguely shell-shocked look on his face, but he was sitting upright and not wearing a blanket, and he answered direct questions with actual words, sometimes even full sentences.

Including when Morgan said, "Uncle Bruce, aren't the sandwiches good?"

"Mm-hmm, yeah."

"I made them! Well, Daddy did the part on the stove."

"They're really good, good job."

"So why aren't you eating it?"

"Morgan, it's not polite to comment on what people are eating," Pepper said. "Or how they're eating it."

"Sorry," Morgan mumbled.

"It's okay." Bruce took another bite of his sandwich. "I'm just eating it slowly so it will last longer."

"Okay, but also you should hurry, because we can have s'mores after dinner, but it's not after dinner if you're still eating. Right?"

"Right," Pepper agreed. 

"Hey, remember when we talked about how it's important to be patient?" Tony said.

Bruce choked. No, he was laughing, Tony was pretty sure. 

"You okay, Bruce?" Tony asked.

Bruce nodded. "Just heard something funny, that's all."

"Funny like Tony trying to teach someone else about patience?" Pepper asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Sounds like somebody doesn't want their s'mores," Tony grumbled.

Bruce finally cleared his plate from the table after he managed to eat half of his sandwich and several bites of salad.

"S'mores now!" Morgan announced.

"S'mores now…" Pepper prompted.

"...because it's after dinner now!"

"But what about...please?"

"Ohh. _Please_ s'mores now?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Pepper replied with a smile. "Why don't you come with me to get the marshmallows and everything, and Daddy and Uncle Bruce can start the fire back up?"

"Yay!"

Bruce followed Tony back to the living room and sat quietly on the couch, while Tony started up the gas log and chattered. "It's nice to have the fire going, right? I mean, it's not the most environmentally-friendly heating method, but at least it's not coal. Pepper wanted a real fireplace, but who do you think was going to cut all that wood? Steve's not here. And this is still cozy, right?"

"Yes," Bruce agreed.

Once he was satisfied with the fire, Tony sat next to Bruce and impulsively put an arm around Bruce's shoulders. Bruce flinched, but Tony ignored it. "I'm glad you're here, Bruce. I'm sorry I didn't think to bring you sooner."

Bruce said nothing.

Fortunately, Tony was saved from having to say more when Morgan and Pepper came in with the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. 

"Can I make one for you, Uncle Bruce? Please? I'm so so good at cooking marshmallows."

"Sure. Thanks, Morgan."

Although Morgan was undoubtedly a perfect genius child, she was not actually good at cooking marshmallows. She either burned them to a crisp or pulled them out of the fire too quickly, before they had a chance to get properly melty. She offered Bruce a burnt s'more, and he took it with a smile. 

Tony attempted to nonverbally tell Bruce that he didn't have to eat it, but Bruce shrugged and took a big bite. "Mm, thanks, Morgan."

"You're welcome," Morgan sang.

"Sweetie, try not to get marshmallow in your hair, okay?" Pepper said.

Morgan let out a dramatic sigh that would give Bruce a run for his money. "I'm not _trying_ to get it in my hair, it just _happens_."

Bruce laughed gently, around another bite of his terrible s'more. Tony relaxed, just a touch. He felt sure that Bruce would be alright, now that he was with his family. If nothing else, Morgan would keep him sugared up.

After they cleaned up from the s'mores, Pepper went to give Morgan a bath. Bruce stayed on the couch, staring into the fire, while Tony sat beside him and scrolled mindlessly through his phone.

Pepper popped her head into the living room. "Morgan requested a bedtime story from Uncle Bruce. Does Uncle Bruce feel up to that?"

Bruce gave a faint smile. "Sure."

Tony followed Bruce and Pepper up to Morgan's room.

"Hey, Little Morgan. What book do you want me to read to you?"

" _Dragons Love Tacos_!" She handed it to him. Bruce perched on the edge of her bed and started reading.

He didn't get very far when Morgan cut him off. "Uncle Bruce! Do the voices!"

"Morgan!" Pepper said.

"Oh. Sorry, do the voices _please_!"

"I, uh, I'll try…" Bruce said, all traces of his smile gone now.

It was true that Hulk-Bruce had been _excellent_ at doing funny voices, which, it turned out, were not one of human-Bruce's strong suits.

About a third of the way into the story, Morgan sighed and pulled the book out of his hands. "It's okay, Uncle Bruce. I'll read to you!"

"Oh. Sorry, Morgan."

"It's okay! I'll _remind_ you how the voices go and then tomorrow you can try again, okay?"

"Okay," Bruce agreed weakly. But he smiled and laughed and gasped in all the right places as Morgan read the book to him, doing her best attempts at ferocious dragon voices, and when she was finished, he bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "Good night, Morgan, thank you for my bedtime story. You do very good voices."

"You're welcome! But now Daddy, will you read one to me? That one didn't count. Please."

"Okay, Morgan, one more," Tony agreed. He picked up _Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus_ and read it to her, doing his best to model funny voices for Bruce, who was awkwardly hovering in the doorway.

When they'd finally turned Morgan's lights out and headed back downstairs, Bruce muttered, "Show off," to Tony.

"I just have a lot of practice, that's all," Tony said with faux modesty.

"Thanks for trying, though, Bruce, we really do appreciate it," Pepper said.

"Of course," Bruce said. He gravitated back to the fireplace, and Tony and Pepper followed him.

"Hey, Pepper, Morgan said something kind of interesting earlier," Tony said. "She said we should have a funeral for Hulk."

"Oh!" Pepper said, casting her eyes on Bruce. "Um, Bruce, what do you think about that?"

Bruce nodded. "Yeah. I've been...considering it, and I think...I think it would be nice. I know it's going to be kind of weird to explain to people, but I...want people to know. That he was a different person than me, and he was brave and good."

Tony nodded. "We'll make sure people know."

"Hulk really did help so many people," Pepper said. "A lot of people will want to say goodbye, and thank you. Do you know where you'd like to have it? I mean, in a church or…?”

“Outside somewhere, I guess. He liked to be outside. I don't think he was particularly religious.”

“Do you want it to be public or private?”

“I guess, um...I think he would want it to be public but I’d rather...not be around so many people.”

“We could always televise it,” Tony said. “Hulk was a big public figure, no pun intended.”

Pepper nodded. “Yes, I’m sure stations would air it. Then there wouldn’t have to be as many people invited but everyone could see it.”

“Yeah, maybe. I...this isn’t about vanity, you know, I...I just want people to know his story.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with a little vanity now and then,” Tony muttered. 

Pepper elbowed Tony and said, “They will know his story, Bruce, I promise. Do you think--“ She looked at Bruce’s overwhelmed expression and stopped. “Bruce, how about if Tony and I put together a plan? We’ll share it with you before we finalize it so you can veto anything you don’t like, but maybe you don’t need to worry about making every little decision?”

Bruce nodded eagerly. “Oh, yes, thank you, Pepper. That would be amazing.”

“It’ll be our honor,” Pepper said. 

“I, uh, think I’m going to bed,” Bruce said. 

“We don’t have to start working on it right now,” Pepper said. “If you’d like to just watch TV with us for a while? Something to unwind a bit, maybe?”

“Not tonight,” Bruce said. “I’m just...it’s…”

Pepper reached over and put her hand over Bruce’s. “It’s okay, Bruce. But we’re here for you whenever you need us, okay?”

Bruce nodded. “Thank you. Um. Good night.”

Tony hesitated before saying, “Oh, and your prescription for Ambien came in, if you want some help sleeping?”

Bruce’s eyes lit up. “Yes. Please. Thank you.”

“I’ll go grab it,” Tony said. He unlocked the cabinet and brought a single pill and glass of water back to Bruce. 

Bruce cocked his head for a moment and said flatly, “Oh, you guys still think I’m suicidal.”

“Does that mean you’re not?” Tony asked. He knew Bruce didn't want to feel like he was being babysat; Tony understood the feeling. But he was pretty sure that, for the time being, at least, Bruce _did_ need to be looked after.

“We keep all our medications locked up, because of Morgan,” Pepper said smoothly. Which was in theory their rule, though Tony often forgot to put his away. “Just let us know if you need anything.”

“Hmm.” Bruce took the pill. “Well, thanks. For...just, thanks.” He took the glass of water and went upstairs. 

Tony waited until he was sure Bruce had closed his bedroom door to turn to Pepper and whisper, “I think that went pretty well?”

“Could’ve been worse,” Pepper agreed. She tapped at her tablet. “Now turn off the fireplace and help me plan this Hulk funeral.”

Tony leaned against Pepper and peered at her tablet. He did love seeing her in full event-planning mode. She'd stepped down as CEO of SI after Morgan's birth, though she still worked as a part-time consultant, and he knew that she sometimes missed the challenges of her job. He knew the company wouldn't have survived the immediate post-Snap economic crash if it had been in less capable hands at the time. She’d talked about returning to work when Morgan started school, and with all the calls she’d been fielding since the Return, she might move that timeline up. But for now, they were happy at home. 

Tony did his best to help his brilliant wife plan an event to honor the being whose sacrifice preserved the peaceful life Tony and Pepper had worked so hard for their family to have. He hoped it would let Bruce find some peace too; Bruce deserved that much.


	3. A Memorial Service & A Movie Night

Tony knocked on the door to one of the trailers they'd set up for temporary dressing rooms for the event. "Bruce? You about ready?"

"Come in," Bruce replied absently.

Tony tried the door; sure enough, it was unlocked. Bruce was staring at himself in the mirror. Tony stood behind him and said, "Hey. You look good." Which was true: despite the sorrow in his eyes, Bruce looked clean and well-rested, sharply-dressed in the black suit Tony had hastily gotten tailored for him. He'd even put a little weight back on, despite Morgan’s frequent cracker thefts.

"Thanks. Uh, you, too." Bruce twisted his hands together.

"You sure you want to do this? Somebody else can read your speech. It's totally fine," Tony said, noting Bruce's anxiety.

"No, I...I can do it. I should do it."

"Okay. Just remember to breathe, and don't lock your knees, and keep your hands loosely by your sides. You can put your hands in your pockets if that's easier. Your speech will be on the teleprompter."

Bruce nodded and licked his lips. Then, suddenly, he turned and put his arms around Tony in a hug. Tony hugged him back tightly, surprised that Bruce would reach out like that. Bruce had made definite progress over the last week, thanks to the killer combination of sleep, SSRIs, and Morgan's persistent affection, but he was still very skittish and spacey and just plain _sad_. Of course, he'd been kind of like that before he'd merged with the Hulk, Tony remembered. Maybe some of this was just who Bruce was without the Other Guy.

"Thank you, Tony," he said softly.

"Bruce, of course. It's the least we could do for you. And for Hulk. It's important to have a chance to process our grief." Tony had managed to squeeze in some time with his own therapist, and over the past week he’d started to tackle the fresh survivor’s guilt that had apparently gotten appended to the rest of his PTSD. 

Bruce mumbled, "I mean just everything over the last week, I know I...I've been...I'm…"

"Shh, Bruce, you're family, is what you are. We'll be here for you no matter what. I...really am sorry, still, that I didn't try harder to reach out to you earlier, after...I just...I felt so guilty."

Bruce gently patted Tony's back. "I know, Tony. It's okay. I never blamed you, for any of it. I wasn't...I just needed some space."

"Well...you know, our house has plenty of space. I bet Morgan would even let you borrow her tent, if you asked nicely."

Bruce pulled away from the hug and nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Tony rubbed Bruce's shoulders. "Good. So. Ready to head to the staging area?"

"Okay."

Tony put his arm around Bruce and guided him around the event perimeter. Tony had owned the land where the Avengers compound had stood. It had been demolished in their last battle against Thanos, and, at Pepper's suggestion, he'd donated it to the National Parks Service so it could be kept as a historic site while the remaining Avengers relocated. But the NPS hadn't made much progress in their preservation work yet, so Tony had gotten permission to hold Hulk's memorial service there, on the grounds. It would be a relatively small affair, though there were still probably more mourners in attendance than Bruce would have liked. But it would be televised, and there had been a lot of work put into making it all presentable and usable space for the day. Catching glimpses of it now, Tony knew their work had been worthwhile. The grounds looked lovely. It would be a peaceful day to say their goodbyes to Hulk.

Tony brought Bruce to a folding chair in the tent used as a staging area, next to Pepper, Morgan, and Happy. "Okay, in a few minutes I'm going to go out and speak first. I'll introduce you, and then you'll come out, just follow the chalk line in the grass and stand at the podium. Then you'll introduce Thor, and just wait there until he comes out and then you can come back here and watch on the monitors, or go sit out in the audience if you'd like."

Bruce swallowed and nodded.

Tony squeezed Bruce's shoulders. "Hey. After I speak, I'm going to be sitting right in the front row. Just look at me, okay? Just talk to me."

"Okay."

Tony checked the time. "Okay. I'm going to head out there. I'll see you soon, Bruce. Morgan, can Daddy get a kiss for good luck?"

Morgan kissed Tony's cheek; Pepper kissed Tony's lips, and Tony walked out in front of the podium to speak about the being who had saved his life, along with everyone else's. Tony had largely removed himself from the public eye over the last few years, but public speaking was like riding a bicycle. The skill came back to him easily; he’d even kind of missed it, though he hated these circumstances. 

"Hi. Hello. I assume I need no introduction, but I do like the sound of my own name, so: I'm Tony Stark, formerly known as Iron Man. And I'm here this morning to talk about another one of my fellow Avengers, maybe the most misunderstood Avenger. And yet, he's the Avenger to whom we all owe our lives. Did you all like that, 'to whom'? I'm trying to...a lot of the time I just speak off the cuff at things like this, but I want to make sure I say all of this exactly right. I know there were some conflicting reports coming out after our last stand, after Earth was restored. But even before that, I know there's been some confusion about just who the Hulk is, and how he got so smart over the last few years. Hulk was created inadvertently, in Dr. Bruce Banner's attempt to replicate the super-soldier serum that gave the world Captain America. Dr. Banner tested the serum on himself, but it didn't go as planned. It created Hulk, another being who shared Dr. Banner's body with him. In times of stress, panic, anger...Dr. Banner would transform. And so the Hulk got kind of a bad rap, since he would only get to come to the surface during Dr. Banner's worst moments. But Hulk was strong and tough, and at his heart, he only wanted to protect people. That's what ultimately made him an Avenger, made him a hero."

Tony took a deep breath and looked out at the crowd. Many of them were wearing green instead of black. Hulk would have liked it. Bruce would probably cry, but that seemed inevitable anyway. 

Tony continued, "As time went on, Dr. Banner figured out how to merge himself with the Hulk, finally creating the brilliant, big green guy who the world fell in love with over the last few years. They were the best of both worlds: two heroes in one body. And at our last stand with Thanos, Dr. Banner and Hulk, together, were able to wield the Infinity Gauntlet to restore all the lives we lost five years ago, and to remove Thanos and his army from our planet. But that effort cost him greatly. The specific nature of the energy radiated by the gauntlet killed Hulk, leaving behind Dr. Banner. And all of the rest of us. I just want it on record that we all owe our lives to the Hulk. And I hope we will all take the time to honor that. To honor him. I'd ask for a moment of silence, but actually, Hulk would hate that. Instead, can we all take a moment to just let out a big, cathartic scream? I know it's going to feel a little silly, but I think...yeah, on three, let's all just scream. One, two, three…" Tony leaned back from the microphone and screamed, overwhelmed by the sound of the audience joining him.

"Thank you," Tony said. "Hulk, that damage to my eardrums is for you, pal. And now, without further ado or screaming, I'd like to introduce my teammate, great friend, and the Hulk's other half: Dr. Bruce Banner."

Tony stood there and waited for Bruce to approach the podium. He swept Bruce into a hug and said, "You've got this, Bruce. And remember, I'll be right there." He discreetly nodded toward the empty chair in the front row.

"Thanks, Tony," Bruce mumbled. Bruce stood awkwardly behind the podium while Tony took his seat. Bruce looked pale and shaky, but then he fixed his eyes on Tony, took a deep breath, and started to speak. 

“Tony, thank you for that lovely introduction. And for...for everything. And thank you all for coming, for listening. I also want to take a moment to thank Natasha Romanoff. If it weren’t for her sacrifice, we wouldn’t be here now. We wouldn’t have made it far enough for Hulk’s sacrifice to mean anything. I...was unable to attend her public memorial service because I was still recovering from...well, anyway, I thank her and I miss her. And I just wanted to say that. And I think that she, like Hulk, was misunderstood by a lot of people, but they really both just wanted to protect people the best way they knew how. And they did that.”

Bruce drew a ragged breath and continued, “I, uh. I think by now, most people knew that Hulk was created by accident. He was an unintended side effect of an experiment, and for years I was furious about my failure. I was afraid of Hulk, of what he might do. And there were people who wanted to force the Hulk to do harm, those who saw him as a tool, a weapon. And I--I’ve never cared much for violence, and I hated what I had created. But I eventually realized that Hulk wasn’t a weapon. He was a person, and I was doing violence toward him by treating him that way. And I--I’m so sorry. And I hope you’ll all do me the favor of just letting me tell you a little bit about what Hulk was really like.”

The audience listened attentively as Bruce continued, “He was really, deceptively sweet. He was very lonely...for a long time…” Bruce trailed off and took a moment to regain his composure. “And he wanted to be friends with everyone. He especially loved children and animals, and that was nerve wracking for me because he was just...so large. But he could be so gentle. He, um, he had a really high metabolism and he loved to eat, but once he understood that meat came from animals, he became a vegetarian.”

“He was very competitive and kind of a sore loser sometimes, as, um, as any Avenger who ever played basketball with him could attest. But he also got so excited for his friends’ successes. He loved to play and to share. Merging with him made me a kinder, more compassionate person, and now that he’s gone I’m going to have to try hard to live up to that standard. I, it was always hard for me to make friends...I was always in my own head too much to really connect with other people. Hulk did _not_ have that problem,” Bruce said with a rueful smile. 

Tony paused to think about that assessment. In his opinion, Bruce had always been kind and compassionate, but perhaps his overriding anxiety about the Hulk had distracted him sometimes. Perhaps Tony had had to work harder than usual to convince Bruce to accept his friendship, but it had been more than worthwhile. 

There was a certain irony to it, though--back when they'd first met, Tony had been the one to convince Bruce to stick around, that the Avengers needed him. The Avengers had benefited from Bruce's brains and the Hulk's brawn, and Tony had benefited from having someone else around who could keep up with him. Years later, Bruce had respected Tony's decision to leave the Avengers, even as peace-loving Bruce surprised Tony by continuing to show up to fight when he thought he was needed, even when the Hulk wouldn't come with him. Tony hoped that soon, at least, Bruce could have a little bit of the peace he'd fought so hard for.

At the podium, Bruce concluded, “Hulk was just someone who always looked out for the little guy, and _everyone_ was a little guy compared to Hulk. Including, um, our next speaker, Thor.” That line probably would have gotten more laughter from the audience if Bruce hadn’t been so clearly on the verge of tears as he delivered it. 

Thor came out and gave Bruce a giant hug, lifting the smaller man’s feet off the ground for a few moments before carefully setting him back down. Bruce looked uncertainly out at the crowd for a moment and then disappeared back into the staging area. Tony debated following him, but he knew some of the cameras were on him and didn’t want to disrupt the ceremony. Besides, he knew Bruce had good company waiting for him. 

Tony stayed and listened to Thor talk about how valiantly Hulk had fought to defend the people of Asgard, and how certain Thor was that there was a place for Hulk in the halls of Valhalla. 

The morning went on with moving tributes to Hulk, culminating in the last speaker of the day: Pepper, with a surprise for Bruce. Tony smiled up at her as she said, "As we join the world in mourning Hulk, I'd like to announce that to honor Hulk's memory, the September Foundation will be offering microgrants to any community looking to build a new playground or improve an existing one. We feel that this is the best way to honor his playful, community-minded spirit. For more information and to apply, visit our website."

Behind her, a slideshow of bright green model playgrounds played. Pepper said, "Thank you all for your time and attention today. I know it has been a difficult five years for all of us, and I hope that, thanks to the sacrifices made by Hulk and Black Widow, the next five years will be much brighter for all of us."

A recording of "It's Not Easy Being Green" played, and Tony announced that there would be refreshments on the lawn following the memorial. Then he went back to the staging area to check on Bruce, who was sitting on the ground and quietly coloring dinosaur pictures with Morgan, despite the tears in his eyes. Tony crouched down to join them. Bruce looked up as Tony approached and said, "Tony, that playground microgrant thing...that is so nice. He would love that. Thank you. And Pepper."

Tony _was_ pretty proud of the idea, and he was glad Bruce approved.

"What's a microgrant?" Morgan asked.

"It means that if people want to build a playground, we'll give them money for it. As a way to remember Hulk," Tony said.

"Will the playgrounds have swings?" Morgan asked.

"Definitely," Tony said.

She nodded decisively. "Good. Can we go do swings now?"

"Sorry, Morgan, we're going to stick around here for awhile," Tony said. "Speaking of which, Bruce, you want to come out and socialize?"

Bruce twisted his mouth, and Tony said, "You don't have to. But we'll have the luncheon afterward for a select few?"

"Right. Yeah."

"Morgan, you'll keep an eye on your Uncle Bruce for me?"

"He's _right here_ , Daddy."

"Okay, yep, great job!" 

Tony went back out to circulate among the crowd. He accepted cards and wishes for Bruce, cheerfully deflecting everyone who asked for Bruce until a beautiful woman with long dark hair and a determined expression approached him. "Mr. Stark, hi, great speech, do you know where Bruce is?"

"Sorry, have we met?" She looked vaguely familiar, but Tony usually relied on help from Pepper or AIs for facial recognition.

"Forgive my manners. It's been...I'm Betty Ross, I'm an...I'd love to speak to Bruce. Do you know where he is?"

Tony took a deep breath. He knew that name, knew her history with Bruce, knew she'd been among the Vanished. He offered a handshake, discreetly checking her for a wedding band. He found none and hoped that meant good news for Bruce, even though he knew that didn't _necessarily_ mean anything. "Yeah, uh, yeah. Come with me."

He led her to the staging area, nodding at the security guard and bringing her through. He hoped he was making the right decision. Bruce was coloring a purple dinosaur and didn't notice them approach until Betty said, over his shoulder, "Those are nice colors. Not very accurate, though."

“Actually--“ Bruce started, then he looked up at her and gasped. "Betty? Oh my god."

Bruce scrambled to his feet. He brushed grass off of his suit and she offered him a hug. "Hey, Bruce. I'm so sorry for...for your loss. For everything. But, um, it's...really good to see you."

"Thanks...you too. Thanks for coming."

"Is this your daughter? She's adorable."

Bruce laughed awkwardly. "No. I don't have any kids of my own. This is Morgan Potts-Stark. She _is_ adorable. Morgan, this is my friend Betty.”

"Uncle Bruce is my _uncle_ ," Morgan said. "But he's not really my uncle but we just call him that so that makes him my uncle."

"Right," Tony agreed. "Hey, why don't we go see what your Uncle Happy is up to and let Bruce talk to his friend?"

"Uncle Happy is probably doing something boring," Morgan grumbled, but she followed Tony. 

“It was nice to meet you, Morgan,” Betty called. Tony cast a glance back at Bruce and Betty. They were both smiling and speaking with animation. Tony dropped Morgan off with Happy and went back out to circulate among the mourners. 

He spotted Pepper in the crowd and sidled up to her. "Hey, you know who's here?"

"Betty Ross?"

"Yes!"

Pepper nodded. "I did hope she'd come. It wasn't easy to track her down."

"You knew she was coming?"

"Well, I invited her, but I didn't actually get ahold of her. I didn't want to mention anything because I wasn't sure she'd come. Turns out she's been living with a friend in San Francisco since she got back, so it was a bit of a journey for her."

Tony leaned in to kiss her. "Pepper, you're a genius."

"I do have my moments, don't I?"

Tony took her hand and together they faced the small crowd, until it trickled down to just Avengers and family, and caterers arrived for their luncheon. They efficiently set up folding banquet tables and chairs and served a buffet of shawarma and other Middle Eastern cuisine. 

Tony went back into the staging area tent to let everyone know lunch was ready. Bruce and Betty were sitting side by side in folding chairs, still talking breathlessly. It was definitely the most Tony had seen Bruce talk all week, maybe the most he’d ever seen Bruce talk?

"Sorry to interrupt, but are you ready for lunch?" Tony asked. Once they were all settled at a long table, Bruce introduced Betty to everyone.

With a small smile, she said, "Hi. I, uh, hope no one holds my dad against me."

"It would be hypocritical of us to do so," Thor said. "Who among us does not have a problematic family member?"

"Me," Rhodey said. "My family's cool. But, yeah, Thor's right, you're not responsible for him."

"I really tried to stop...well, it doesn't matter now," Betty said. “I cut off contact with him before the, um, anyway...I haven’t talked to him in years.”

Tony noticed Bruce squeeze her hand under the table. 

Thor said, "Banner, have you given thought to what you will do now?"

Bruce sighed. "I guess eat this sandwich and then maybe take a nap?"

Thor laughed. "I mean, broadly speaking. What is your life plan now?”

"I know what you meant. I just...I'm not sure what my, uh, life plan is."

"Well, soon I will be embarking on a journey into space, with my very good friends the Guardians of the Galaxy. I am sure you would be welcome to join us, if you were interested."

Bruce blinked. "Space? I--you know I'm not--"

Thor held up his hand. "Banner, certainly I would not invite you as a warrior, but as a friend and a healer. A scientist. There would be much for you to learn."

Bruce nodded thoughtfully. Tony felt a pit settle in the bottom of his stomach. Space was so huge and dangerous; it was really no place for humans. He wasn't sure he could take the stress if Bruce went into space. He could barely handle the stress of worrying about Bruce here on Earth. Bruce had lost his protector, and Tony felt compelled to try to fill those very big shoes for his grieving friend.

Rhodey said, "Or, you know, closer to home, we could definitely use your skills with what we're trying to do with the Avengers Initiative. There's a lot of instability right now, and we're just trying to provide as much humanitarian aid as we can. Whenever you feel ready, you're more than welcome to join us on some peaceful missions."

Tony tilted his head. What was Rhodey thinking? Bruce was in no condition for humanitarian missions. As far as Tony was concerned, Bruce still needed to _receive_ humanitarian aid. He'd gotten a lot better over the last week, but still, it had been barely a month since he'd lost Hulk. Bruce still needed more time to grieve and recover. 

Or maybe Tony was projecting again? He'd wanted Rhodey to retire too, after his injury, but Rhodey had insisted on returning to work as soon as he was physically able. But Rhodey had always wanted to be a soldier, and Bruce never had. Still, Bruce had been through a lot of changes. Tony knew that Bruce and Rhodey had hit it off when they first met, but had become even closer friends over the last five years. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they were together, even if they were putting themselves into danger together. Tony just wished that the world--the universe--didn't ask so much of his friends--of his family.

Shuri added, “You would also be welcome to join us in my research department in Wakanda.”

T’Challa nodded. “It is very rare for us to invite outsiders but you have certainly proven yourself worthy, Dr. Banner."

That offer, at least, seemed unlikely to endanger Bruce. If anything, he'd probably get better care there. And Bruce had been very impressed by Wakanda, to Tony's mild jealousy. Wakanda was awfully far from California, but it was still on Earth. It wouldn't be so bad if Bruce chose to relocate there.

Bruce nodded again. "Thanks," he said. "I...that’s a real honor, Shuri, thank you...those are all really great options."

Tony cleared his throat and said, "We do also have a position available at SI. For a part-time nanny. Dragon voices optional. Great benefits, room and board included…"

"Tony, I know you're joking, but don't call Bruce a nanny, please," Pepper said. 

"Fine. For a full-time, live-in uncle, then."

"Yeah, I think I--I think for the time being, anyway, I'd just like to spend some more time resting at home, with my family," Bruce said, twisting his hands together and glancing around the table. Tony beamed.

The others easily processed Bruce's rejection and made it clear that their offers stood if Bruce were ever to change his mind.

"So where’s home, these days?" Betty asked casually.

Bruce nodded toward Tony and Pepper. "With them. It's a bit south of Sonora. I guess I technically still have a home in LA, but it's...it's not a good fit now."

"Oh. That's not too far from San Francisco," Betty said with a smile.

Bruce smiled back. Tony smiled, too. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he was pretty sure he could handle it if Bruce moved to San Francisco. San Francisco wasn't too far, and it was certainly more fun to drive in than Los Angeles.

After they wrapped up the luncheon and headed for the large SUV they'd all come in, Tony leaned in to Bruce and whispered, "There's room for Betty, you know, if you want to offer her a ride back to the city with us."

Bruce gave a shy smile, but he shook his head. "No, thanks, Tony. I...it's really great to see her, and all, but I...we...should take things slow. It's kind of...it's all pretty complicated. She, uh, is working on some really exciting research, though."

"Okay. Well, just to be clear, you can obviously stay with us for as long as you want to. Indefinitely. Forever. Or we'll help you find another place, when you're ready, if that’s what you want to do."

"Thanks, Tony."

They dropped Peter off in Queens and then made it back to the home Tony and Pepper kept in Manhattan after they'd sold Stark Tower. They planned to stay the night there before flying back to California the next day. Tony pointed Bruce toward a guest room, assuming he'd want to rest after the emotionally draining day. Bruce thanked Tony and then surprised him by reappearing in the living room, having changed out of his suit and into pajama pants and a hoodie. He quietly sat on the end of the couch.

Eager for fresh blood, Morgan abandoned her coloring book to curl up to Bruce on the couch. "Uncle Bruce, can we watch _Moana_?"

Bruce flicked his eyes over to Tony. "Uh…"

Tony said, "Oh, why not? Let's watch _Moana_." He and Pepper had agreed to limit Morgan's screentime to a "reasonable amount," but when they were traveling, an almost infinite number of hours seemed reasonable to Tony.

"Yay!" Morgan said. "FRIDAY, play _Moana_!"

Tony kept his tablet with him but went to join Bruce and Morgan on the couch. _Moana_ was one of Morgan's more tolerable favorites. As the sound of the opening number filled the room, Happy and Rhodey trickled in to join them. Tony sent a quick text to invite Peter, and the kid appeared almost instantaneously; although he wasn't wearing the suit, Tony suspected he hadn't taken the subway.

Finally, Pepper wrapped up her conference call and squeezed in to join them.

As the film went on, Tony noticed that Bruce seemed to be invested in the movie--actually paying attention, rather than spacing out in the general direction of the screen. "Wait, Bruce, have you seen this before?"

"No, I don't think so."

"What? Oh man, _Moana_ 's the best!" Peter said.

"She's a good role model," Pepper said.

"No, she's not, she doesn't listen to her parents and she runs away from home," Tony said.

"Hmm. Well, still, I like her agency," Pepper replied.

"Morgan, you're not allowed to have any agency until you're eighteen, okay?" Tony asked.

Morgan ignored him and sang along with the shiny talking crab. Bruce snorted with laughter.

Tony crossed his arms and sighed. To soothe himself, and also because it was dinner time, he ordered pizza. (New York pizza was far superior to West Coast pizza, one of the few drawbacks of the lake house.) Slices were distributed and everyone happily ate while watching (or re-watching, or re-re-re-re-re-re-watching) Moana's journey.

Then, the movie reached its climax. Tony turned to see Bruce, who hadn’t really cried at the memorial, was sobbing with his face in his hands after the violent volcano goddess Te Kā revealed herself to have been the misunderstood, peaceful, green island goddess Te Fiti all along. Tony winced with understanding. When Morgan had suggested the movie, Tony hadn't thought all the way through to its ending. Of course Bruce would over-identify with it.

Morgan climbed onto Bruce's lap and turned to put her little arms around him. "It's okay, Uncle Bruce, she got her heart back and now she's nice again! And the ocean is fixed and all the fish are okay! Except for the ones Moana's family are going to eat!"

Behind her, Bruce sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Pepper tossed him a box of tissues. "This movie gets me, too, Bruce," she said. "Honestly, I think it's a rite of passage into adulthood to cry at a kids' movie."

"All the Pixar movies are acts of emotional terrorism," Rhodey said. 

"Oh, actually, this isn't Pixar, it's Disney," Peter said earnestly.

"Okay, but still," Rhodey said. "Have you seen _Inside Out_?"

"Yeah, you're right, have children's movies always been this sad?" Tony asked, remembering the tears he'd shed for Bing Bong.

" _Moana_ isn't sad!" Morgan said.

"She's right, the movies aren't sad, it's just that you guys are like, nostalgic, now that you're old. Er! Older than kids," Peter said.

"Good save, kid," Tony said. God, he was glad Peter was back.

Bruce managed to compose himself by the time the credits rolled, but Morgan, jet lagged and worn out from a day of unusual activity, had fallen asleep on his lap.

"Aww," Pepper said. She stood up to snap a photo.

Rhodey laughed. "I get why you're not doing more Avengers missions, Bruce. You're really cut out for this uncle life, huh?"

Bruce gave a small smile and said softly, "I mean, I know I'm not as fun as Uncle Rhodey, but this feels...right. For now, at least."

"Hey, I'm happy for you. You deserve this. I'll just miss you at team meetings, is all."

"Maybe I'll call in if you're talking about something interesting..."

"Probably never going to be as interesting as _Moana_ , to be honest. It's way better than some of the other ones..." Rhodey turned to Tony. "What was the one about the talking cars?"

"It's just called _Cars_ ," Peter chimed in.

"A lazy title, for starters," Tony said.

"I'm glad Morgan never liked that one. It makes no sense!" Rhodey complained.

"I read a theory online about how those movies are set in the far future where humans evolved to _be_ the cars," Peter said.

"That's extremely upsetting," Pepper said.

Tony watched with amusement as Bruce closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep on the couch, mid-conversation. Rhodey made eye contact with Tony and they shared a smile. Tony carefully tucked a blanket over his sleeping friend and daughter and smiled before taking another photo of them. He knew exactly how much this idyllic scene had cost, and he was determined to appreciate every moment of it.

He occasionally glanced back at Bruce and Morgan as he chatted softly with Peter. Or really, as Peter chatted softly at Tony, filling him on all the pleasantly mundane things that had happened since their last conversation, as well as several fan theories about various children's movies. Then Peter's loud text message alert went off. Bruce jerked awake, startling Morgan in the process. 

"Sorry!" Peter said. "That one means it's May. I should get going!"

Tony hugged Peter and walked him out, promising to fly him out to California for a visit soon.

Back in the living room, Bruce sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the room in confusion.

"Okay," Tony said, "So, looks like everyone woke up just in time to get ready for bed."

Morgan giggled. "Can we watch the 'Shiny' song again before bed?"

Tony opened his mouth to reply, and she said, "Not the whole movie! Just the 'Shiny' song!"

"Oh, why not?" Tony asked. "But _just_ that song, and then it's bathtime, okay, little miss?"

"Okay," she agreed. "FRIDAY, please play the 'Shiny' song."

FRIDAY obliged. Tony noticed that Morgan wasn't watching the video; she was watching Bruce. For his part, Bruce looked gently sleepy.

The song ended, and Tony announced, "Okay, bathtime for you, my little ocean voyager."

On their way to the bathroom, he asked, "Hey, is 'Shiny' your new favorite song from _Moana_? I thought it was 'You're Welcome.'"

"Yeah I still like that one better, but Uncle Bruce laughed at 'Shiny' and the end of the movie made him sad, so I thought he would like to see that one again to cheer him up maybe."

"Wow, Morgan, you are _very_ perceptive."

"Yeah, I know."

While Tony ran Morgan's bath, she asked, "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Is Uncle Bruce going to be with us tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think he's going to be with us for awhile, sweetie."

"Okay, so tomorrow then can we please watch _Moana 2_ because I bet Uncle Bruce hasn't seen that one either?"

"If Uncle Bruce wants to, sure." They had a long flight ahead of them, and there were much worse ways to keep her entertained.

"I bet he will," Morgan said confidently. "I bet he'll like it more than _Moana 1_."

Tony was pretty sure Morgan was right. He liked to think that Hulk could watch it with them too, wherever he was. Even if not, Tony would certainly think about the big green guy whenever he got to spend time with his daughter watching big, animated creatures sing about how misunderstood they were.

"Daddy, why are you crying? Did _Moana_ make you sad too?"

"I'm not crying, I just have bubble bath on my face," Tony said. He reached into the bath and grabbed a handful of bubbles to put over his beard.

"Daddy, you're silly."

"Yeah, I am silly. And _you're_ clean now, so let's get you to bed," Tony said, thrilled to have more chances to be teased by his brilliant daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few nitpicky detail notes (aka please don't @ me about this ;) ):
> 
> \- I know in the movie we saw Professor Hulk eating sausage but a) veggie sausage exists and b) Vegetarian Bruce is a ride or die headcanon for me.  
> \- I also know that in the movie we _didn't_ see Professor Hulk participating in those video team meetings but I'm choosing to assume that that was because they were saving that character reveal for later, not because he wasn't involved with Avengers stuff at all?  
> \- _Moana 2_ doesn't exist in our current timeline but I assume by 2024 they'll have gotten around to it (even if half of the animators are gone). All of the other books & movies referenced are real, including the delightful [Dragons Love Tacos](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13337050-dragons-love-tacos).  
> \- I had a few discussions with friends about where exactly Tony's lake house is--it seemed like maybe it was in driving distance from the Avengers compound in upstate New York, but they also could easily have elided some flight/car acquiring scenes (it's not like we saw in depth how Scott Lang got there from San Francisco). Basically I liked the idea of him getting physically far away from the Avengers compound, and also being closer to Silicon Valley, assuming Pepper still has some involvement with SI and they still have their headquarters in LA.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!
> 
> And thanks again to volunteerfd, xxx_cat_xxx, Amy, and tarajuku for all helping make this story better along the way! ♥


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